The Some what Fake Story of RoMe
by Mikey18
Summary: After an assassination attempt on Hannibal Barca, the nine year old son of Hamilcar Barca, fails, he is sent away to Iberia to be raised by a priestess. Whilst Rome and Carthage engage in war.


The Story of RoMe;

Circa 200 B.C.E.

Intro: The Oath of Hannibal

The city streets of Carthage were still buzzing with life. The vibrant city was a match in size of Rome itself. The architecture was much different. Some of the older parts of Carthage held resemblance of cities in Phoenicia. Seeing as Carthage was once a Phoenician colony. With Rome and Sicily being so close together it seemed as though the two civilizations were destined to collide. Even legend draws them together. The alleged founder of Carthage, Queen Dido, was the lover of Aeneas. Aeneas of Troy. According to legend, the Greeks laid siege to a seafaring city of Troy. A Trojan Prince, Aeneas, escaped and sailed to Italy. Aeneas landed at Laurentum on the west coast of Italy. He formed an alliance with Latinus, king of the Latins, and married his daughter. Aeneas's son Ascanius founded Alba Longa, east of the Tiber River. He was the first of a line of kings who ruled for about 400 years. When the last king was overthrown, his grandsons Romulus and Remus were left to die on the Tiber River. A wolf found them and took care of them.

The twins now needed a new city, they decided to set up a city right where they were left. They held a ceremony to mark the boundary, but Remus jumped the furrow in mockery. Romulus was enraged and killed his brother, gave his own name to the city, Rome, and became the first ruler. The heart broken Queen Dido, fled to Phoenicia, where she accompanied a group of colonists and went to Africa. She would be the first ruler of Carthage. What started as love, grew into hate. With the first Punic war in full swing, the lovers Aeneas and Dido would spread their misfortune to the civilizations they had spawned.

But thats all legend...

A shadow made it's way through the bustling streets of Carthage. Though the city was not as busy as it would be during the day, there was still quite a few people to push. This man was not born in Africa. His allegiance was not even to Carthage. In times of war there are many ways to get rid of your enemy. The most popular one among tyrants has always been espionage. This man was an areani of Rome. An undercover spy, scout, and sailor. He was only known as the pseudonym Sanguine, of Rome.

He separated from the main streets and walked into an alleyway. Sanguine took calculated steps toward his destination. He has been t here many times before. This very night, two targets would be there. Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilcar Barca. The arch nemeses of Rome. Sanguine was covered in black skin tight leather armor, a black cloth over his face. His cape concealed his weapons that were strapped to his thighs, dual sai were his weapon of choice. It didn't take long to reach the resident where Hamilcar was. A Carthaginian guard stood at the doorway, his eyes on Sanguine who blended in the shadows. As the man in the cloak stopped in front of him, the guard flashed his spear and tapped the man's shoulder.

"I'm going to have to have to ask you to leave."

The shrouded man pulled down the cloth veiling his face. "Your lord is expecting me"

"Oh he is," The guard retorted "State your name and business with Hamilcar."

"My name is Sanguine," His right hand was left unseen, it slipped to his thigh and unsheathed his small sai "And my business..."

Sanguine thrust himself toward the guard, he pulled his right hand from his cloak, in it was his deadly blade. Sanguine placed his left hand over the man's mouth as his torso was pierced. Sanguine withdrew his blade, sliced his victim's throat, and threw the body to the side. Using his cloak, he wiped off the blood on his blade.

Then he made his way through the door. The only possible way to go was a hallway to his left. Sanguine grabbed a torch that was perched on a wall and continued down that way. He could hear some talking ahead, a woman's voice. The hallway ended there was an opening that lead to a larger room, Sanguine pressed himself against the wall and looked over the wall. Peaking into the room he saw three people at a glance. A grown man, a grown woman, and a small boy.

'The priestess, Hamilcar, and Hannibal' Sanguine counted them off. He made his move, he walked in the room whilst drawing his sai.

Sanguine was stopped in his tracks as the sensation of cold steel hit his shoulder. He then realized that the room was actually bigger, and covered with guards. He cursed to himself because of his stupidity. He saw everything clearer though, Hamilcar and Hannibal were at an Alter, the priestess on the other side. An animal sacrifice on the alter. The priestess looked up from a scroll she was reading from.

"Oh were you expecting someone Hamilcar?"

The grown man at the alter already turned around, a huge grin on his face. "You silly Romans think you could just invade my city." The boy Hannibal was completely oblivious to this failed assassination. He was only nine. Hamilcar walked up to the captured man and looked him in the eyes. Sanguine was dumbfounded, "Were you expecting this?"

"I've got eyes everywhere," He then addressed his guards. "Take him outside and kill him."

Sanguine was pulled off by three guards, he didn't make a struggle. Just a look of regret in his eyes. Hamilcar smirked and turned around, he made his way back to the alter. He waited until he heard the thud of the door before he knelt at the alter. He looked upwards towards the priestess. "Please continue Emo."

After what happened the priestess 'Emo' looked calm enough. Not even a scream. "Uhh, ok, now where did I leave off.." The priestess Emo continued to read from a scroll. At the end of it Hannibal took a dagger in his hand and slit the throat of a baby goat. He couldn't comprehend it's important at the time. Hamilcar told him over and over again, that the Romans were bad people. The child would hate the Romans for the rest of his life because of what his father told him.

When the ritual was done, Emo rolled up the scroll once again. She felt compelled to ask what was to be done with the boy now. To which Hamilcar responded: "I will send him to Iberia, and leave Sicily in Hasdurabal's hands." He paused for a moment. "Emo, I have a favor to ask of you, would you accompany my child to Carthago Nova?"

Emo looked surprised, to be entrusted with the child of someone as famed as Hamilcar was an honor. "I've known you with some time, Emo." He said, "And I think I can trust you with my son."

"I'd be honored sir." Replied the priestess, moderately surprised. "When are we to leave."

"Tomorrow."


End file.
